False Dawn, Women in the Age of the Sun King
Auchincloss, Louis. False Dawn, Women in the Age of the Sun King. First Edition. 1984. Book is in very good condition; dust jacket is in very good minus condition.
Like several of Auchincloss’s books from this period, Jacqueline Onassis was the editor. And, who better to oversee a book about pageantry and power than a former first lady who combined the two so effectively during the Kennedy Administration? This slim but perfect book devotes a chapter to twelve fascinating women—queens, authors, noblewomen—all connected to at least one of the others, who defined (and occasionally defied) their era. The New York Times questioned its feminist theme, because all twelve were born into the ruling class. However, what they did with their power is what makes them so interesting.
“There was no escaping the Sun King except in the hated dark.”
--Louis Auchincloss